Academy Teams Hoping for Clear Skies

AFTER a week of heavy rains on the Coast, all Central Coast Mariners Academy teams are keen to play this weekend.

AFTER a week of heavy rains on the Coast, all Central Coast Mariners Academy teams are keen to play this weekend.

Saturday 21 April sees the Boys Skills Acquisition Program Grade 9 and 10 return from their break over the school holidays. The youngest members of the Academy will play Sutherland at Pluim Park with 9am and 10am kick-offs respectively. Although these age groups are officially a development league with no results and points recorded, all these young players are mastering the skills of playing out from the back, skills that are being espoused for all younger age groups by Football NSW and Football Federation Australia.

Although training has been interrupted throughout the week for all the Academy teams, the Grade 13 through to Grade 18 Boys will be hoping to enhance their lead in the Football NSW Boys Super Youth League Club Championship. The Boys play the Bankstown Berries who currently sit at the bottom of the Club Championship. The Coast teams will be quietly confident of securing points from these matches with a number of the Academy teams training at Soccer5s at Tuggerah in what has been a wet week. Saturday's games commence with a 9am kick-off for the Grade 13 boys and conclude with a 3pm kick-off for the Grade 18 Boys.

The Girls and Womens teams are on the road this week with Round 5 games planned against Macarthur Rams at Lynwood Park near Campbelltown. The Senior Women had a convincing 5 nil win last week over Sutherland and will be hoping to continue this form to beat Macarthur's First Grade Women who sit on equal points on the table with two wins each. The Club Championship for the Girls and Womens teams is also close with the Central Coast sitting just two points ahead of Macarthur on the overall table.

The Grade 11 and 12 Boys Academy teams playing in the Football NSW Skills Acquisition League return to Pluim Park on Sunday after wins last week when they travelled to Bathurst to play Western Branch. The boys will play Manly in Round 6 of their draw. Kick-offs are 9am and 10am.